Festival attendance for the Cape Town Fringe fest saw growth of 8.37% – up year on year from 18 569 in 2014 to 20 124 in 2015. The increase came despite a four day long weekend in its opening days and having some big rugby matches to compete with.

In 2014, there were 486 performances of 92 productions, whilst in 2015, the organisers deliberately pared down the programme to 311 performances of 62 productions. Additionally, there were around 22 free or non-ticketed events and workshops.

Increased sales saw most artists do better than the previous year. The crop of sold out performances included:

• Sleepless Dreams (Stuart Lightbody)
• We Didn’t Come to Hell for the Croissants (Popart Productions)
• Tom Thum & Jamie MacDowell (Australian beat-box duo)
• Butlers & Babysitters (Slick ‘n Sleeve)
• Smaarties (Abstract Productions)
• What Goes Up (FTH-K)
• People are Living There (Hungry Minds Theatre Collective)
• B!*tch Stole my Doek (Copy Dog)
• Incredible Journey (KB Theatre Productions)
• Barred (Yellow Glove Collective)

Says Cape Town Fringe CEO, Tony Lankester: “It is great to see South Africans supporting theatre to this extent. Cape Town is a busy city with a lot on so we’re glad that the Fringe model is starting to ‘stick’ in the minds of audiences, and is bringing new audiences to the theatres.”

As host sponsor of the event, The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral committee member for tourism events and economic development, Councillor Garreth Bloor said: “In its second year, the Cape Town Fringe has really made its mark on the cultural calendar of the city and was buzzing with audience and energy.

“It has also, once again, proven to be an important platform for artists who may not otherwise receive the kind of exposure and experience a fringe festival can bring. We look forward to seeing it grow and evolve in the years to come.”

The Cape Town City Hall was very well received as the Festival hub with several members of the public commenting that it was the first time they had been inside the City Hall. Other venues on the Festival map also performed well.

The Fugard Theatre’s executive director, Daniel Galloway said: “The Fugard Theatre is proud to have been one of the Cape Town Fringe Festival venues and it was exciting to be part of this new theatre festival in Cape Town.”

New venues in and around the V&A Waterfront also expanded the Festival footprint, the Alexander Bar provided an intimate theatrical experience and the Gugu S’thebe Theatre in Langa enabled the Festival to reach new audiences, and in particular, school children in the area.

For the first time the Festival organisers also created an intimate music venue (Standard Bank Studio) in the City Hall Auditorium and are looking at ways to grow audiences for this as a music venue at the Cape Town Fringe next year.

Hazel Chimhandamba, head of group sponsorships at Standard Bank said: “Our support of the Cape Town Fringe festival is an extension of our National Arts Festival sponsorship.

“Through the Standard Bank studio we hope to draw an audience with a strong appreciation of the arts and music. It is a niche offering which allows us to reinforce our support of the arts in this region. It also allows for business to engage in a relaxed and informal setting with their clients who have a passion for the arts.”

The Festival’s partnerships with Cape-based organisations such as ASSITEJ, PANSA, Scribe, the Baxter’s Zabalaza Theatre Group and the Shifty Voelvry Concert also bore fruit. Developing and extending the reach of ongoing Cape Town arts projects through a fringe platform will continue to be a key part of the Cape Town Fringe strategy.

Lankester sums up by saying that both of the first two Cape Town Fringe festivals brought many lessons and insights.

“We found our feet a bit more this year and we have already started to think about how we can make it an even better Festival next year – we are encouraged by the appetite from our audiences. We would like to thank everyone who came to the Cape Town Fringe, the artists, the media, the staff and crew. See you in 2016!,” he added.

Artists wishing to participate in the Cape Town Fringe Festival 2016 should expect a call for entries to go out in the first quarter of 2016. Follow @CTFringe, like the Facebook page: capetownfringe or go to http://www.capetownfringe.co.za to keep in touch.